1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electrical signal mixers wherein two or more signals are combined to provide an output signal which is translated upward or downward in frequency and, more particularly, to a monolithic RF L-band double balanced diode mixer having a high output third order intercept point.
2. Description of Related Art
The output third order intercept point of an RF signal mixer provides a measure of its linearity. When two signals that are very close in frequency propagate through a mixer of high linearity, the inter-modulation product 2f1–f2 of frequencies f1 and f2 and 2f2–f1 that get generated are low in magnitude where f1 and f2 are two tones that are relatively close in frequency. Such a feature is extremely important because it provides a radar system, for example, with a larger dynamic range and the ability to detect weaker targets.